


Child of Death

by lejardine



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:08:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23750581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lejardine/pseuds/lejardine
Summary: Severus is saved by a child of death and sets into motion a series of positive events.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Kudos: 44





	Child of Death

Hermione stood with the rest of the Order and Hogwarts students and professors on the bridge as they watched Hagrid tearfully carrying Harrys dead body. There were cries of terror and defeat from the side of the light while Voldemort and his minions stood and smirked in triumph. Hermione stood numb before rage tore through her. She felt it, the power she’d inherited from her father, well through her. Her whiskey colored eyed turned wholly black, her now frizzed hair turned sentient and floated and whipped around her. Her already dark skin turned a few shades dark and a snarl formed on her face. Hermione silently raised her right hand towards Voldemort and silently cast a spell only she had the power to cast. From Voldemort’s chest sprang a black and oozing ball of unknown substance. It dripped and stank and festered. Voldemort too confused watched as the ball floated from him. Feeling all of a sudden vulnerable. 

“This is your power no more. Taken,” the ball then spun and turned from the oozing black tar like substance to a white light substance, “purified,” she then turned her hand down towards the earth, “and returned to whence it came.” Hermione had stripped Voldemort of his power and left him a squib. She then did the same for the surrounding death eaters (except the Malfoys who’d curiously disappeared). They all had been stripped of their power and had fallen dead within seconds of loosing it. “Power for Power. Lives for lives.” With that pronouncement Hermione had swept her hand towards Hogwarts and all of the fallen who’d fought against Voldemort and the Death eaters had all taken a life-giving breath. They now sat up, healed and given a new start.

With all of this Hermione had not noticed Harry roll out of Hagrid’s arms alive and with wand until he whispered her name. Hermione turned and wordlessly stalked over to Harry and hugged him close. 

“What have you done Hermione?” asked Harry as he gently pulled away from her with worry on his face.

“I’ve brought back balance. But there’s one more I must fix.” Hermione had backed away and in a flurry of black Hermione disapparated. She then reappeared in the shrieking shack just outside the room Severus Snape not lay in, dead. 

Severus found himself in a room of pure light. No discernable detail told him where he was. “So this is death.” He whispered to himself.

“No, not quite yet.” Said a familiar voice from behind. Severus whipped around to find a very familiar red head sitting on a stool.

“Lilly!” Severus stood and rushed over and hugged his long dead friend. 

“Nice to see you too Severus. But you can’t stay for too long.”

“Lily I’m sorry, I…” Severus’ voice hitched. 

“Severus, its fine. You did not cause my death that rat did. You’ve protected my son, who is still alive by the way. Thank you! But as I said you can’t stay here. It’s not yet your time. You’ve got plenty more life to be living now that you’re a free man. There’s someone waiting for you.”

“But…”

“Nope, no buts. you’ve got a future ahead of you to live and enjoy. Let me go Severus and enjoy it.” With that Lily pushed Severus with a smile on her face. And Severus felt himself falling.

Hermione placed her hands on Severus’ chest and head and cast the spell whispered into her ear by her father. With a start Severus’ eyes flew open and he took a deep whistling breath. Severus made to sit up but Hermione pushed him back down for now.

“Don’t move I’ve more to do.” Severus looked at Hermione with a look of fear and trepidation. Her hair was sentient, her eyes were black, and her normally dark skin was near ink colored. And beside her was a figure draped in black. Hermione had cast the same spell she had cast earlier pulling out Severus’ magic. Only it was a ball of blue light that had thin strings of black tangled within. “Interesting.” She commented to herself.

“What?” Hermione looked down at Severus and smiled. 

“You’ve got dark magic interwoven in your own magic, to be expected considering but some of it unexpected. There will be a few who shall be found by my father and suffer for the rest of eternity.” Severus cocked a brow at that. “Ah, my father.” Hermione pointed to the cloaked figure beside her. “Death.” Severus eyes popped out of his head. The cloaked figure pulled back his hood to reveal a pale man with bright green eyes and deep brown wavy long hair that he kept swept back into a ponytail. His face was covered in thick facial hair that was kept neat. 

“Pleasure to finally meet you Professor.” He smiled towards Severus but returned his attention to Hermione. “Can you do it or would you like help, dearest?” 

“No, I can do it father.” She responded. “Professor there are a few dark spells that have been cast on you over the years that still hold. A couple from when you were a child.” She looked at him pointedly.

“Ah, a leftover from those blasted marauders no doubt.”

“Uh, two are. But the others are far older. From before your time at Hogwarts.” Severus sat there confused. 

“Shall we see what happens?” Hermione didn’t wait for an answer. With a wave of her free hand she pulled up Severus’ left sleeve to reveal the dark mark on his arm. Then she set to work. She reached into the ball of magic and with every strand of black Hermione touched Severus felt and saw some changes to his person. Physically and mentally. The first thing he felt was lightness. “That was a compulsion placed on you removed. It reeks of Albus. He forced the compulsion to love Lily and to not harm Harry in any way.” Severus then scowled.

“Meddling ass.” Severus grumbled.

“Oh, don’t worry. He’ll be getting his once she is done with helping you.” Responded death. The next thing Severus felt was a physical lightness. 

“That was a removal of Voldemort’s magic in that tattoo. Try to remove it now.” Severus did just that by rubbing his hand over it. As his had passed over the tattoo faded to nothing but his alabaster skin. Severus, so entranced by being free of Voldemort then felt another physical change take over. “That was a curse put on you by your grandfather. It was to make you eternally sickly. Though, it didn’t really hold you back.” Hermione said with a smirk. There was one tendril left but Hermione did not touch it but rather looked at it thoughtfully. “This one I will leave for now. It will be removed at a later date.” Severus looked at her confused. “Ah, not to worry. It’s not harmful. More protective than anything else.”

Hermione returned the magic back to Severus and stood. Then helped Severus to his feet. Death stood beside both of them and placed his hands on their shoulders.

“Thank you dearest.” He said as he leaned down and kissed his daughter on the forehead. Now standing Severus was amazed this man stood a whole head taller than he. He’d also noticed now that Hermione was well taller now than the last time he’d seen her. Apparently, a year on the run and starvation did nothing to stop her growth as she now came up to his nose. Death than looked at Severus. “Thank you for protecting her and trying to keep the balance. I give you what’s rightfully yours.” With a shake of the hand Severus felt power surge through him and knowledge. So much so he developed a migraine. “Albus stripped you of this when you became his spy without you realizing it.” Hermione pulled out her purse and pulled out of it a pain potion and handed it to Severus. He swallowed all of it and it only took a few seconds to kick in. 

With that Death nodded his head to Severus, hugged his daughter and disappeared in a flurry of black. It wasn’t until they were left alone that Severus felt the slight change in weight of his left hand. He raised his hand to see a gold bracelet and signet ring. The ring with the Prince insignia and the bracelet with its motto. Hermione stood beside him and smiled.

“I’ve got one too.” Hermione raised her right hand to show a signet ring with a moon burst on it and a bracelet that bore runes, both also in gold. “There are only a few families that bare these rings and bracelets. And no, not the sacred twenty-eight. Our lines are far older than theirs.” There was no further explanation. “We should go.” With that pronouncement Hermione took Severus’ hand and they left the shack and returned to Hogwarts.

In the next coming days, a few things happened. 

The bodies of the death eaters and Voldemort were collected, examined, and once deemed well and truly dead were cremated for safety. Their ashes returned to their next of kin if they had any. If not, their ashes were thrown in the English Channel. 

Hermione and Severus found Albus’ portrait. Hermione placed a truth compulsion spell on it and a trapping spell that pulled Albus to whatever portrait he would need to be in. Thus, when Severus was put on trial Albus had to tell the whole truth of everything. Severus’ memories he’d given to Harry as the icing on the cake. Severus was thus deemed a free man. But just before everyone was dismissed Hermione walked up to Severus. “I ask that you all wait just one more moment.” Severus sat in the chair and stared at Hermione. What now? With a smile Hermione pulled out the ball of Severus magic and looked towards the Wizengamot. “There’s one last thing I’ve to show you all. At birth a glamour was placed on Severus to hide some of the obvious Prince family traits. It’s time that glamor was removed.” Hermione looked towards Severus. She plucked the last strand and everyone in the room watched Severus looks changed from the greasy miserable man to someone far more attractive if only with slight changes. His nose was now more Aquiline and straighter then hooked and broken. His hair no longer greasy and limp but now thicker and fuller. His lips a little less then and his features more relaxed. The permanent scowl removed from his features. Severus now looked more approachable and handsome. “Going to Hogwarts I never understood how anyone saw Professor Snape as ugly and unwashed until I realized in my fourth year that he had a glamor about him. I also realized he wasn’t the one to place it there. Your mother did that to protect you as she had herself in an effort to hide you from your grandfather. Now that you are the heir of the Prince line and your grandfather is long dead there’s no reason to keep the glamor.” With that Hermione produced a mirror after returning the ball to Severus. He looked at himself in stunned silence, as did the rest of those in attendance. 

Severus was still headmaster of Hogwarts and thus returned to help in the rebuilding of the school. It took the whole summer, but the castle was rebuilt and improved upon. A thing the clearly sentient edifice had been waiting for. Parts of the castle that were old and creaky were replaced by new stone updates. The dungeons gave up all their secrets, any dark materials were handed off to the DOM. The dungeons were then magically done away with. Thus, putting Slytherin, the potions classroom and lab, and the Slytherin head of house above ground with the rest of the houses. In an act of house unity Severus changed the way students were sorted into the houses. First and second years to Hufflepuff, third and fourth to Gryffindor, fifth and sixth to Ravenclaw, and Seventh to Slytherin. There were no longer four separate long house tables. But multiple smaller round tables. All were equal. Once everything was in place. Severus stepped down from Headmaster handing the position off to Minerva. And released himself from Hogwarts as a whole.

The Malfoys had returned to Malfoy manor in the hubbub of the final battle. Lucius had been arrested and tried and thrown in Azkaban (now devoid of dementors). As such, Draco now inherited the Malfoy fortune. Narcissa was magically divorced and now free to do as she pleased. Draco had made it his life mission to do better. Starting with removing all dark artifacts the Malfoys owned, handing them off to the DOM. Anything left from the death eaters who’d taken up residence in his home were now removed and destroyed. He’d hired elves to come and rid his home of the dungeons and any other rooms below ground level. He also donated a significant amount of money not only to the rebuilding of Hogwarts, but also the aid those affected by the war.

Before the beginning of the new school year a victory celebration had been put in place. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Severus had been awarded the Order of Merlin first class and given a significant amount of money. Severus, with Hermione in tow now that he considered her a friend of sorts, went to Spinners end. They stood outside for a bit and Severus stared at his rundown childhood home. He hated the place with every fiber of his being but now that he’d had the compulsions on his person removed, he saw no reason to keep the place. So, with Help from Hermione they went through the house and collected everything he wanted to keep. To be honest it wasn’t much. All the books yes and a few records. And a few items of jewelry owned by his mother. Everything had been placed in a trunk which was then shrunk down to fit into the pocket of his jacket. Satisfied Severus cast everything else to the trash heap out front. The house was then put on the market and sold. Severus had inherited the Prince estate and all it entailed and set to cleaning and repairing parts of the long disused mansion. As well as doing a sweep of any dark magic or materials. And destroying any portraits of past Princes’ he wanted nothing to do with. 

Harry and Ron had used their newfound wealth to make life a bit better. 

Harry had used the money to do what Draco had done and gone through Grimmauld Place and cleared it of any dark materials. There wasn’t much. The books in the library he’d given to Hermione and Severus, knowing full well they’d have more use of the books than he did. The house was then reconstructed to be more open and lighter and welcoming to anyone who visited. Just as well because not too long after he proposed to Ginny. 

Ron set to helping his family. He gave his brothers some of the money to help with their joke shop. Gave some to Charlie and bill to help with their respective families and careers. And gave none to Percy who was so proud he refused to see the error of his ways. Just as well as he was now divorced, unemployed and destitute. The last ting he did was build a proper home (actually mansion) for his family to live in comfort. Enough rooms for all the Weasley children, grandchildren and extended family to stay in at once. The mansion was built on the land of the old house and the gardens were repaired with the help of Nevil and Luna. 

Those who should have completed were invited to return to complete their seventh year. Some took that offer. Other hadn’t. Some, like Hermione, Draco, Harry, Ron and handful of others had instead sat their NEWTS in Hogwarts a week before classes began. Hermione, being Hermione had aced all the NEWTS she took. Which was all except divination. Harry, Ron and Draco had come in second to her. The rest got varying scores. 

As such, Hermione went to work for Severus as his research assistant. Living with him in the Prince Mansion. It didn’t take long for the two to get closer and fall in love. It was three years before they got married. Another year before Hermione gave birth to identical twin girls who took after her and another two years when she gave birth to their son who was the spitting image of his father.

Ron married Lavender Brown and had three children. Two red heads and one blond. Ron became an auror and worked with the DOM.

Harry and Ginny got married a year after their proposal. But saw that they really didn’t make a good couple. They divorced amicably. Ginevra became a professional quidditch player traveling the world for competitions. Before settling down with a certain Bulgarian. Harry had traveled on his own for a short time and then joined by Draco. It was then they found their affinity for each other and became an item. Draco continued his philanthropic work to help wizarding society repair and grow. Harry had become the Head Auror. 

Neville and Luna married and had two bright little girls and lived in a house perfect for them in the country surrounded by the most beautiful gardens created by Neville now that he was a master Herbologist. Luna had gone into the study of magical creatures.

Kingsley Shacklebolt became the new minister of magic. And one of his first decrees upon such was to shrink the Wizengamot to twelve. It made things far easier and quicker. Dementors were eradicated, laws were updated and changed. And education was improved upon as a whole for the British wizarding world who were decades behind the rest of the wizarding societies around the world. It was a long and arduous task for him but with him there was a positive rebound in births and the overall health of all.

And Death was happy for the balance now brought back to the world.


End file.
